Royal Tour Highlights Victoria Day Weekend Events at the Halifax Public Gardens

May 15, 2014 (Halifax, NS) – Residents are in for some fun family events at the Halifax Public Gardens this Victoria Day weekend, topped off with the Royal Tour on Monday, May 19.

Two choirs attending PODIUM 2014, a national conference for Canada’s Choral Community being held here in Halifax, will be singing at the Bandstand in the Public Gardens on Sunday, May 18. Those performances, part of the choirs’ “Out and About” performance program, are scheduled for 1:50 p.m. and 2:10 p.m.

His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall will be arriving in Halifax on Sunday, May 18. For security reasons, Bishop Street between Barrington and Hollis streets will be closed to the public for the duration of their stay, from 12:01 a.m. Sunday until 4 p.m. Monday, May 19.

As part of the Victoria Day celebrations, His Royal Highness will tour the Public Gardens at 12:30 p.m. Monday, during which he will learn about the history of the gardens, its role in the city and the restoration of the Jubilee Fountain.

His Royal Highness will also attend a bandstand concert and meet members of the Dahlia Society and other groups. He will then plant an oak tree beside the oak tree that his grandfather, King George VI, planted during his visit in 1939. A set of coins honouring the 75th anniversary of the 1939 Royal Tour will be presented to His Royal Highness by representatives of the Royal Canadian Mint.

The public is welcome to attend all of these events. Please note that on Monday, May 19, visitors can enter the Public Gardens through the middle gate on Spring Garden Road, next to Horticultural Hall, and the corner gate at Sackville and South Park streets.

The main gates at Spring Garden Road and South Park Street will also be open to the public, . All other entry gates will be inaccessible that day from opening (8 a.m.) until the Prince of Wales departs the site.